NINE TIME MACHINES: Do you want to undo your entire life on planet earth?

CHAPTER 100

"Right off the bat, I'll tell you," she said, her voice a mere whisper. "They lack fellow feeling."

"Go on."

"Maybe if we force them to feel how the other feels that will unite their thoughts."

"And your method?"

"A virus."

"I already shut down Qira's idea."

"A new virus that no one will be immune to."

Fantum smiled at Raea. "Now that's more like it."

"Fantum, shut up! Raea, go on."

"The children will be exempted, of course."

"No doubt."

"We'll target specific blood types only."

"That again?

"Let me finish."

"Don't tell me. You want to merge them too?"

"I just want them to inhale; then exhale all over each other until everyone's infected."

"Symptoms?"

"Blindness. Paralysis. Bleeding from sexual organs."

"Yes!" Fantum squealed. "That's even better than death. We get to watch them suffer. That definitely ought to bring our spark back."

"It'll also defeat Mother's purpose," Xaxu reminded her.

"Who cares what Mother thinks? We're here; she's there. We're the ones stranded here, left to fix the mess she started. Don't tell me about her purpose. War is war! How you kill your enemies doesn't matter once they dead."

"It's prophecy," Xaxu insisted. "Mother wants it fulfilled to the letter. Back to you, Raea."

"Xaxu, I know it sounds a bit cruel. But you've got to admit I covered everything that divides them, with just three symptoms."

"Yes, I saw that. And do you also want to make men bear children to even the score?"

"I hadn't thought of that." Raea chuckled. "Maybe we can slip that in for good measure."

"Or not."

"How about that?" Fantum hissed. "We can always count on big sister Xaxu to suck all the fun out of a game."

"Have patience, Fantum," Xaxu replied. "The war is coming. You'll have fun soon enough."

"So what's the verdict on my idea?" Raea asked.

"There's no way I'm letting almost everyone on earth be bedridden, bleeding and blind."